Improvement in washing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

WILLIAM MOOORD, OF SING SING, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 117,188, dated July 18, 1871 antedated J uly`13, 1871.

To all ywhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MeCoRD, of Sing Sing, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Washing-Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specication, in which drawing- Figure 1 represents a transverse section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional front view of the same.

Similar letters-indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a washing-machine, which consists of a drum provided with concave buckets or compartments to receive the clothes to be washed, and hung on gudgeons which have their bearings in the end plate of a frame which is placed in a closed box containing water, and which is provided with a water-spout in such a manner that, when the closed box is heated and the temperature of thewater rises to the boilingpoint, a current of water passes up through the spout and down from the same on the drum, imparting to said drum a revolving' motion, and acting on the clothes contained in the compartments of the drum, and by this action the dirt adhering to said clothes is rapidly and easily removed.

In the drawing, A designates a box, made of sheet metal, and provided with a cover, B, which closes down air-tight, and which is retained in position by cani-buttons a secured to the handles b of the box. These handles are pivoted to the sides of the box, and they can be turned up over the cover so that, by turning the cam-buttons c in the proper direction, they are brought to press said cover iirmly down upon the edge of the box. Into this box is placed a frame, C, the side plates of which form the bearings for the gudgeons c of the drum D. The body of this drum consists of a hollow cylinder closed at its ends by the heads or flan ges c; and between these heads or flanges is situated a series of common buckets or compartments, f, intended to receive the clothes to be washed. In order to retain the clothes in said compartments I employ an apron made of wires and cross-bars, and so arranged that it can be conveniently attached to hooks h secured in the partition between two adjoining buckets 5 or instead of this apron I can employ open-work doors, one for each compartment or bucket, and hinged to the partitions between them. By unhookin g one end of the apron i, and turning the same back, access can be had to all the buckets; but if each bucket is provided with its own door the operation of introducing and removing the clothes may be simpliied. The frame C is made concave at its bottom to lit closely to the periphery of the drum, and from said bottom extends a semicircular plate, g, up on the back of the drum and over the center thereof, as shown in Fig. l. To this back plate i is secured a spout, j, which serves to throw the water down on the buckets of the drumso as to impart to said drum a revolving motion. To the side plates of the frame C are secured suitable handles, by means of which said frame, together with the drum, can be readily removed from the box A. In the cover B of said box is secured a safety-valve, l, to allow the steam to escape if the interior ofthe box should exceed the desired limit. Y Over this safety-valve I propose to place a closed vessel, E, containing a small quantity of water and from the safety-valve rises a pipe, m, above the level of the water in the vessel E, so that if steam blows oit through the safety-valve it is condensed in the vessel E and prevented from escaping into the room. When the buckets or compartments of the drum D have been filled with clothes the frame O is placed into the box A and a small quantity of water is poured into the box and its cover is closed down tight. The box is then placed on a stove and heated so as to cause the water to boil. As the water rises on the back plate of the frame C it .passes through the spout j, discharging upon the drum, and the drum is caused to revolve, the action being similar to that of an overshot water-wheel. Bythese means the clothes contained in the buckets of the drum I) are washed very rapidly, and all danger oftearin g them by friction or otherwise is avoided.

It must be remarked that the box A may be constructed with a rire-place and smoke-flue, so that the water contained therein may be heated without placing' the box on a stove.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A washing-machine provided with a drum capable of receiving the clothes to be washed,

and having a revolving motion imparted to it by This specification signed by me this 19th day the action of a current of Water discharging on of December, 1870.

it7 and produced by heating the Water to its boil- WM. MCCORD. ing point, substantially as set forth.

2. The open-Work apron i surrounding the buck- Witnesses ets f, and capable of being readily removed and W. HAUFF,

refastened, substantially as described. E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

